“Stop, okay,” My chest heaved, and I rubbed my breastbone trying to ease the tightness. “Just stop.”
“Why? Why should I?” Unshed tears collected in the corners of her eyes and I suddenly realized she wasn’t baiting as much as unleashing her own anger at the situation.
“Let me in, Giles,” I said, sliding my foot into the gap.
“No.” A single tear escaped, rolling down Felicity’s cheek. “You need to leave. Just go, Jason.”
“Come on, babe. Let me in.”
“You don’t care about me,” she whispered.
“I care,” I admitted. “I wouldn’t be standing here if I didn’t.”
Her eyes flew to mine, searching. Looking for answers I didn’t have. It was a battle of wills and I didn’t know who would break first.
“Fine,” she eventually relented, “but you can’t stay. My parents are—”
“Who said anything about staying?” I smirked as I stepped inside earning me one of her trademark eye rolls.
The door clicked shut behind us and I flinched, the sound like a gunshot to the chest.
What the fuck was I doing? She was okay, I could see that. Maybe a little shook up and angry, but she’d sassed at me the way she usually did. The fight sparking in her sea-green eyes.
“Nice place,” I said, filling the awkward silence.
“It’s not much different to your house.” She smiled faintly, leading me down the hall I knew would open out to the kitchen.
“You didn’t come to the party?”
“I didn’t feel much like socializing.” Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug as she went to turn away from me.
“Hey.” I grabbed her arm and pulled gently, backing her up against the counter. Her breath hitched, her eyes alight with so much emotion I felt winded. How could one girl—one quirky, no-filter, pain-in-the-ass girl—affect me so much with a single look?
“You okay?”
“I...” Felicity slid her hands up my chest, her touch like wildfire, blazing a trail of heat. “I think so.”
“Thatcher just wanted to scare you.”
“Yeah, well, it worked.”
My chest squeezed again. Too many people were being dragged into this thing between me and Thatcher. First Hailee, then Cam, and now Felicity. If I wasn’t careful, soon there would be too many moving pieces for me to keep tabs on.
“What did you do that was so bad?” Her voice was quiet even in the silence.
Shit. She could have asked me any other question and I probably would have answered... but this was the one thing I never wanted her to know about me.
But instead of clamming up and distracting her with kisses and touches, I found myself saying, “There was this girl.”
Felicity tensed, her eyes full of bewilderment. “A girl? Like Jenna?”
“No, not like Jenna.” I grimaced. “Jenna is no one.”
Felicity arched a brow at that.
“She’s just someone to pass the time. A willing body.” Jesus, it sounded so fucking awful out loud.
“Ew, gross,” she mumbled, dropping her eyes.